


I Shall Have Him

by Tuffshe



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Jealousy, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-06-26 02:09:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19758436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tuffshe/pseuds/Tuffshe
Summary: After narrowly avoiding Armageddon and presumably scaring Heaven and Hell from their trail, Aziraphale and Crowley have sunk into a routine that suits them just fine. But Hell may not be done with them just yet. How will the ineffable pair deal with the arrival of a new man who - at least in one demon's opinion - takes up far too much of the angel's time?Based on the show "Good Omens".





	1. Jack In the Box

1.

The day was going just as any other day had gone since the almost apocalypse; busy and chaotic, as it had been since it's creation. Yet, on one particular corner in Soho, London, inside an old bookstore, an overwhelming feeling of calm and content pervaded the air.

Aziraphale hummed lightly to himself as he organized a bookshelf. Ever since the body-swap incident, things had been much quieter for him and Crowley. No more updates, no more reports, and - best of all - no more sides. Heaven and Hell may have still been at odds but Aziraphale and Crowley were no longer involved, and they'd been greatly enjoying being able to see each other without repercussion. What used to be lunch once a millennia became at least one meal together every day, or sometimes a snack, or a walk in the park. Really, any excuse to see each other was used.

Aziraphale had gone over to Crowley's place for the first time and would now often spend an afternoon there, reading and encouraging Crowley's plants when he was out of earshot. Although the offer had come up many times, the angel never stayed the night, to Crowley's disappointment.

"I'd feel too uncomfortable, staying up all night in your home while you slept on."

"I mean, I could stay up with you," Crowley had insisted, not at all put off by the idea. Just like Aziraphale, sleep was not necessary for a demon, but Crowley did enjoy it.

"I think it would be better if we just went our separate ways for the night. Oh, come now, I'll see you tomorrow, I'm sure," he continued upon seeing the slight pout upon Crowley's lips.

The days had gone on like this, their relationship closer than before and somehow still at a stand still. Aziraphale didn't mind one bit, simply taking every day at pace and enjoying what he had won.

His eyes peeked through the shelves as he heard someone enter the quaint little shop, the smile slowly melting into a concerned frown. This was the third time this week this man had been in his shop! Never buying anything, both times he had stayed much too long and left without even asking for help. What could he possibly be looking for?

Sliding the last of the books in his hand into their rightful spots, he quickly stepped over to where the man was standing.

"Hello, there. Were you in need of any assistance today?" The man startled at the sudden voice behind him, turning quickly and giving Aziraphale his first good view. He was tall, with an athletic build and a wisp of side swept charcoal hair. He looked down at the shop keep and became immediately flustered.

"Ah, um, sorry?"

"You know, not a lot of people come into this bookstore, and even fewer come twice. I think you may be the first I've had come three times; in one week no less!" Aziraphale smiled kindly, hoping this would prod the man into revealing his inquiries.

The man paled for a moment and then flushed.

"Ah- I'm- my apologies! To be honest I'm not very good at decision making and, well, you seemed awfully busy whenever I was in," he rambled for a moment before composing himself.

"Honestly I also just really like the feel of this place, I wanted to keep coming back just to look at the books and get the atmosphere. I hope that's not too weird?"

Aziraphale's face lit up a bit, the compliment to his bookstore also a compliment to himself.

"Oh! Well then. That's not weird at all, I...thank you! I'm glad you enjoy it!" Aziraphale was practically beaming. The man smiled back, more at ease now.

"Actually, if you have the time to spare, I was wondering if you could tell me about a couple books, um..."

"Aziraphale."

The man adjusted the books he had questions about under his arm before sticking out a hand.

"Jack. Nice to meet you, Aziraphale."

The two talked for nothing short of an hour about all manner of book related topics, including but not limited to their favourites (of which a shocking amount were shared), the care of books, and how to find rare books. It was only when Aziraphale's phone rang that the angel looked at the time, realizing he was late to lunch with Crowley, who was surely the one calling.

"Oh dear," Aziraphale spun around towards the phone and then back to Jack, hand to head.

"I'm so sorry, I forgot, I have a, uh, prior engagement-" he said as he hurried toward the phone, not wanting to leave the patron behind but not wanting to worry Crowley. He'd been a bit more on edge after the whole discorporating incident.

"Oh, of course, not a problem!" Jack responded, perhaps only slightly put off. He turned to leave but stopped short of the door.

"Would you like to...grab a tea sometime? Maybe tomorrow? I'd love to keep talking with you."

"Tomorrow? Good! Yes, I shall see you then!" Aziraphale responded quickly, his panic making him agree more quickly than he usually would. The response elicited a smile from Jack.

"Tomorrow, then." He exited, leaving Aziraphale to answer the phone, and as the door closed he could already hear the store owner apologizing to the person on the other end of the line for his tardiness.

Breathing his lungs full of fresh air, Jack begun to walk down the street, a pep to his walk. He removed a cellphone from his jacket pocket, tapping a few buttons before lifting it to his ear and waiting for a response.

"How did it go?" the voice on the other end drawled, sounding none too optimistic.

"Piece of cake," Jack answered, pushing his hair back with his hands.

"By the end of the month, I shall have him."


	2. Tea and Wine

2.

Aziraphale dusted the shelves of his bookstore happily, thinking fondly of the previous night's events. Crowley had taken them to one their favourite spots; well, one of Aziraphale's favourites. Crowley rarely if ever partook in food, so as long as the place had booze or, more importantly, brought a smile to the angel's face, it was good enough for him. They had sat on a rooftop in Santorini and enjoyed the sun and fresh sea air with some saganaki and far too much ouzo.

It had been such a lovely time, in fact, that Aziraphale had entirely forgotten to tell his demonic friend about the curious human that he had spoken with earlier that day. Truth be told, the shopkeep still hadn't recalled the incident, or his plans. It came as a momentary shock, then, when Jack strode back into the store just a bit before tea time, looking more confident than he had the previous day.

"So! I found this nice coffee shop nearby that I thought you'd enjoy, if you're ready now we could probably beat the rush?" He stood with expectation, ready to leave at a moment's notice. The excitement fell as Aziraphale took a momentary pause, baffled as he struggled to remember what was going on. When he finally brought the memory back, the shock was clear on his face. Jack smiled, disappointed but chuckling.

"You forgot."

"No!" Aziraphale answered too quickly to seem natural. "No, I didn't forget! I just...momentarily...put it to the back of my mind." He grinned slightly and, with two quick sweeps of the shelf he had been working on, replaced the duster back under his desk, clapping his hands together to rid them of the dust. He walked to the door with purpose, pulling his keys from his jacket pocket and swinging the door open for his newfound friend to exit through first.

"Shall we?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two enjoyed a lovely time at the local cafe, talking each other's ears off as they continued their conversation from the day before. They chatted until their tea turned cold, the biscuits on the table ignored until they decided they had spent long enough bothering the other patrons and Aziraphale finished the last one off as they paid. They walked back slowly, neither seemingly in a rush to stop their time together for the day, though knowing it must come to an end as the sun was beginning to sink low in the sky.

Aziraphale came to a halt as he saw the familiar Bentley parked outside his shop. Without knowing why, he suddenly became anxious for them to meet, a primal warning that he couldn't decode going off in his brain. He quickly turned to look at Jack.

"This is far enough, I believe," he grinned, giving a slight nod.

"Ah, well, I guess our time is up," Jack returned the smile, though his seemed sadder. "I really enjoyed our time today."

"As did I," the angel replied cheerily.

"Do you think we could do it again sometime?"

Aziraphale paused for a moment, surprised that this human still wanted to see more of him.

"Surely you don't have much more to discuss in the way of books?" Aziraphale inquired. Of course this was rather hypocritical of him, who could still speak for weeks on his collection alone, much less books he hadn't had the chance to snatch up yet. Still, he had had many more years to read and learn than Jack, who looked younger even than the angel's corporeal form suggested, and much younger than 6000 years.

"Well, we don't have to talk about books?" Jack suggested, grinning sheepishly. "As much as I enjoy our talks on literature, I'm more interested in just getting to know you."

A moment of silence passed between them as Aziraphale stared, dumbfounded. Jack fidgeted, looking as if he wanted to take what he had said back. He was about to try when Aziraphale responded, his voice softer than it had been before.

"I suppose... I would like that as well."

Jack lit up, suddenly looking more youthful.

"Then, until next time," he said before turning and walking off, a noticeable skip in his step.

Aziraphale smiled as he watched him go. He seemed like a good chap, with a smart head on his shoulders. The angel had given up on befriending humans as much as he could in the past, knowing too well the pain of having to leave them, and the worse pain when he knew that, when he saw them again, some wouldn't have been on the same side as he. But now? Well, in the span of a few days he had met Adam and The Them, Newt and Anathema, Shadwell and Madame Tracy. Surely one more human friend wouldn't be much harm.

Smiling, he turned back to his shop and the Bentley, maybe just a little proud of himself for making a new friend. As he approached he saw his fiery red head get out of the car.

"Angel!"

"Crowley, dear, how has your day-"

"Where were you?" Crowley interrupted, meeting Aziraphale in the doorway and standing closer than usual, looking down on the angel.

"I, well, I was-" Aziraphale stuttered, caught off guard by the sudden shift in mood. "I just went out for a spot of tea! With a... friend!" He couldn't help but grin at the word, which felt somehow exciting as it rolled off his tongue. Crowley didn't look nearly as enchanted.

"Well," he finally replied, "if you're going to start going off with friends all the time, you'd better give me a key to the bookshop. Been waiting in the car this whole time," he muttered, displeased but not truly trying to take it out on his friend.

"But you love that car!" Aziraphale said as he unlocked the door, gesturing for Crowley to enter.

"I love it, but that doesn't mean I want to sit in it doing nothing for an hour and a half," Crowley drawled as he sauntered in, immediately moving to the back office and making himself comfortable on the sofa. Aziraphale left the sign on the 'CLOSED' side, not wanting to take customers while Crowley was there. He followed into the back office, turning on the kettle to make some hot cocoa, feeling it was still too early to drink as they did in the late evenings.

"So? Who was it?"

"Hm?" Aziraphale had been previously excited about his newfound friendship, but suddenly he wasn't so sure. It somehow felt almost embarrassing.

"Your friend you went to tea with. Did Anathema drop by, or perhaps Madame Tracy?" The question wasn't asked with any ill intent, but genuine curiosity.

"Actually, someone new," Aziraphale answered as he poured hot water into two mugs, adding the cocoa and stirring carefully.

"A customer, to be more exact. We shared a similar interest in literature, and wanted to talk more on the matter." As he spoke he lifted the two mugs, turning with a gentle smile and placing the black mug next to Crowley on a small table, taking his own back to his plush seat.

"Oh, so, less of a friend and more of a customer, I suppose," Crowley shrugged, taking up his drink and giving it a small blow.

"Well, I'm not so sure." Aziraphale's face finally cracked into a large grin, hardly able to contain his excitement. "He seemed rather keen on meeting up again to, as he put it, talk about more than just books!" He looked at Crowley expectantly but continued when no response came.

"It's been a long time since I had a human friend who was so close by! I think we could become a swell pair."

Crowley's finger twitched slightly but his glasses hid any thoughts his gaze may have betrayed. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was about this whole affair, but something inside was sending off warning bells. He shooed the feelings away as well as he could, taking a long sip of his drink.

"I didn't realize you had such a penchant for befriending humans, angel," he finally responded, resulting in a shifted glance from Aziraphale and the beginnings of a pout. Crowley smiled tenderly, not meaning to chastise.

"I'm happy you're making friends." The atmosphere shifted back to something more calm as Aziraphale gave a bashful grin, a sight that always warmed Crowley's chest.

"Augh, this is much too sweet," Crowley broke the silence, wrinkling his nose as he looked into his still half full mug. "Come on, Angel, let's have something more fun." He stood and strode past Aziraphale, placing his mug on the table beside the angel as he passed by and headed with purpose to where he knew the best alcohol was kept.

"Isn't it a bit early?" Although he asked Aziraphale was already putting the mugs back onto the counter, producing two tall glasses. He didn't complain when Crowley poured them full, clinking their glasses together before they both began drinking rather greedily, happy that the strange tension had left the little bookstore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The two beings sat on the old couch in the bookshop, jolly of spirit and red of face. The pile of empty bottles had grown over the hours leading them here, in the dead of the night sharing stories of their day to day, recounting the horrors of the almost-end, all of which held a humorous relief now that it had passed. The two sat on opposite ends of the couch to better face each other, but still close enough that their knees bumped and rested against each other.

Aziraphale didn't even notice the touch.

Crowley most certainly did.

"Ah, I wish I coulda seen it," Crowley chuckled, taking another gulp of his wine.

"Really, I thought he, he might faint! He was just-," he widened his eyes comically, throwing his hands in the air in fake abject horror, and in doing so, his empty glass slipped from his hands, careening towards the floor.

Later that night Crowley would surely look back on this moment and wonder why he didn't just let the glass fall. It wouldn't be an issue to clean up after; either of them could just miracle the shattered pieces back together, he could clear away any stains so they had never happened. But in his drunken state, Crowley moved on what he could only imagine was human instinct. He darted forward on the couch, using one hand to grab the back of the furniture and stretching out with the other, grabbing the base of the glass just in time. He stayed still for a moment, feeling like he'd left his mind at the other end of the sofa, before he remembered to breath again. He leaned back, a proud smirk on his face.

"I think maybe you've had more than enough, don't y-," he paused as he looked down, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest as he realized the close proximity between him and Aziraphale. His Angel. His obsession.

He placed the glass tenderly on the nearby coffee table and laid his hand on the armrest beside Aziraphale, an arm now on either side of the angel, who stared back at him with wide eyes. 

Crowley could smell the alcohol on the other's breath, mixed with the familiar scent of his Angel. He could feel the heat coming off of his red face, due to the alcohol or something else, the demon couldn't say. He could practically taste Aziraphale in the air, his breathing sounding just slightly more laboured than it usually did.

"Angel..."

BANG

The two jumped up like guilty teenagers, immediately separating as the sound of the car backfiring outside sent enough adrenaline pumping through their veins to sober them out of whatever was about to go on. Crowley cleared his throat, standing like nothing had happened.

"Yes, well, I should be heading out, then." He grabbed his jacket off the back of the couch, forcing him to lean towards Aziraphale once again. The blonde kept his gaze angled downward, avoiding eye contact with all his might. Crowley couldn't help but notice the tips of his ears practically glowing red.

"Y-y-yes, I think that's, um, quite enough for today," Aziraphale agreed, smiling but still not raising his head.

"Until next time," Crowley nodded before letting himself out of the shop, walking casually.

As soon as he was in his Bentley his face flushed a deep crimson, and he put his hand over his mouth, leaning back.

In the store, a similar scene was going on, although with Aziraphale it comprised of much more pacing.

The Bentley started playing 'Love of My Life' before Crowley quickly changed to another song, peeling off down the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to update! Got carried away with a project I'm working on.


	3. Silence

3.

A little over a week passed with no word from Crowley. This should have felt normal to Aziraphale, especially considering how they used to go centuries without seeing each other. But in the short time since the almost apocalypse he had grown accustomed to the demon's presence, and his disappearance now left the angel feeling lacking. More than once he had wandered over to his rotary phone, staring at it for a long while before even taking it out of its cradle.

His whole body would feel light, like he would float away if he didn't focus on the task at hand. With each number that he curled down the dial his heartbeat would pick up, until it felt like the whole organ had been replaced by a hummingbird, rapidly and annoyingly flapping it's wings against the inside of his ribcage. Had breathing always been this difficult?

He had only managed to dial the full number once, a sudden, cool dread coming over him as the phone rang.

And rang.

And...

"Hey, this is Anthony-" 

Aziraphale momentarily forgot how to breathe as his friend's voice suddenly brought him back to the last time they had seen each other. The imposing feeling of Crowley leaning overtop of him, never laying a hand on Aziraphale and yet the air around him seemed to keep the angel pushed against the couch, unable to move or speak or breathe or think.

Fast as lightning Aziraphale grabbed the phone with two hands and slammed it back to its bed with a loud clatter. He backed away, straightening his bowtie as he turned his back on his device. Surely the demon was busy, or he would have called. Or maybe he was sleeping? Aziraphale wasn't sure, but he decided it wasn't his place to pull the demon out of whatever he had been up to. He had never been known to be so needy.

And so the week had continued on with no word from the demon, and with Aziraphale finding other things to fill his mind, to avoid thinking of that night any more than was absolutely necessary. Which, of course, was not at all.

And so, here he found himself, wrapping up tea with Jack for the third time this week.

"So, I'll see you again in a couple days?" Aziraphale asked cheerily, finally taking the initiative for them hanging out. Though there was a definite loneliness that had motivated him, the truth was he genuinely enjoyed his time with Jack. They would talk about lots of things that the angel hadn't talked about in a long time; human things. They would talk about politics and the day to day struggle. Jack had tried to teach Aziraphale about more modern technology but it all went over his head.

"Actually, I was thinking we could do dinner?" Jack asked, a small hesitation in his voice.

"I'm going to be busy with work until late, so if it's fine with you...?"

Aziraphale grinned, not even thinking before answering.

"That sounds lovely!"

Jack grinned wide, reaching out and giving Aziraphale's hair a gentle tousle.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, then!" He waved as he turned, leaving his newfound friend to fix his hair on the corner they always separated.

Aziraphale's mood dampened the closer he got to home. Every time he walked back a small part of him hoped he would see the Bentley sitting there, an annoyed demon waiting for him like the first time he and Jack went out together. An annoyed Crowley, he was finding, was infinitely better than no Crowley at all.

Still, the spot remained empty, and he sighed slightly as he let himself in. Since Crowley had requested it, Aziraphale actually had made a copy of the key, but it wasn't much use without someone to give it to. He pat his pocket tenderly, the metal inside acting as some kind of reassurance. Crowley would be back.

He spent the night cracking open a new book that Jack had gifted him. It was more new than anything he regularly held in his store but he forced himself to go through the motions of reading it, until he found that it was actually quite enjoyable. Fancy that.

The day felt slow, like he was moving through molasses to try to reach the end. He couldn't be more relieved to see it was coming up on dinner time, ever if it was just to distract himself with Jack.

As he walked over to the front door, flipping the sign from open to closed, his ears perked at the familiar sound of the Bentley rolling up to the storefront. A wave of joy flooded over him and his face cracked into the biggest smile it had worn in days. The blonde had to hold himself back from simply running out to meet Crowley then and there. He almost did, placing a hand firmly on the handle, before a rush of memories came over him again, and he froze. He tried his best to wipe the thoughts away completely, backing from the door, but he could feel his face was flushed, his heart beating at a quickened tempo.

Anxiety took him over as he spun in a frantic circle, searching desperately for an answer. Casual! He should look casual, he finally decided, stopping his spinning and starting to head back towards the front desk when he heard the door open behind him. He froze for a second, trying his best to think of how to act like he hadn't a clue who it was who was walking through at this hour.

"Closing early today, Angel?"

The familiar voice filled Aziraphale's chest with a bud of warmth, and he quickly spun around to see Crowley standing there, casual as always.

"Crowley, dear! I, well, you didn't- it's been a..." he took a second to recompose his thoughts before looking up at him with a genuine smile. "It's good to see you."

Despite all the worrying Aziraphale had gone through in the past week, Crowley always had a way of calming his anxieties. And the fact that the demon himself seemed so at ease helped as well.

"You too, Angel," Crowley replied softly, as if he was trying his hardest not to scare off a small animal. There was a pause but before things could get uncomfortable, Crowley had spun back around, ready to walk to the door.

"Well then! Shall we go?"

"...Go?" Aziraphale hadn't moved from his spot. "Go where?"

Crowley stopped, looking back with a look of bafflement.

"Dinner, of course! Unless...unless you don't want to-"

"I do!" Aziraphale interrupted, the thought of scaring his friend off again too high. "Oh, I truly do but I, well, I made plans." This time the silence that followed made the air seem strangely thick, and heavy.

"Oh."

More silence.

"Going out with your human friend again? What was his name? Jake?"

"Jack."

"Jack! Right, that's the one. Well, I guess it's good that you've found someone to keep you company while I'm not around."

"Crowley..."

"Well, and I have other friends too! Th-that I should, I should really be keeping up with as well!"

"Crowley," Aziraphale's voice was pleading, not wanting to start an argument now. "It's not...he's not...it's not the same."

"It's fiiiine Aziraphale, don't worry about it. I'll come back another day, you go see your human friend." 

There was something about the way Crowley kept saying human that made Aziraphale's heart twist in a painful way. Before Crowley could exit the door he hurried over, clumsily pulling the key out of his pocket. He took Crowley's hand and pressed the cold metal into it, closing the demon's fingers around it, who looked puzzled by the action.

"You said you wanted a key so, well, here. Now you can come whenever and even if I'm out you won't have to wait in the car."

Crowley looked as if he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut, instead just nodding before turning to exit, driving away shortly thereafter.

The overwhelming silence that had taken up residence in the store the past week settled back down, holding Aziraphale in it's unfeeling embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all! I am SO sorry this chapter took so long to come out! I had just been hoping to get to a more regular weekly release schedule, and then I got busy making wings for Zira and Crowley cosplays for my fiance and I...and then I got sick...and then I was busy...and then I got more sick.
> 
> Thanks for sticking around and thanks so much for the positive feedback I've been getting! I'll have a bit more time coming up so hopefully I can actually start releasing more on schedule (for real this time!)
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of my first fanfic in roughly 10 years (yikes!) Just for clarification, this piece will be based solely off of the show and widely accepted fan canons, as I have yet to read the book! (I know, the horror!).  
> I will do my very best to keep up with posting new chapters as consistently as possible. Enjoy!


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